About this Course Do you already have basic VMware Virtualization knowledge and experience and want to take your skills to the next level so you can pass certification exams, get that promotion or earn a position as a senior VMware vSphere administrator at a new organization? If so, this course is for you! I developed the content in this course for 5-day Instructor Led training classes – the kind of class that can cost $4,000/seat or more to attend. But now it is here – where you can get the same training for a lot less. In Part 1 of this course, I cover how to deploy vSphere 6.7, how to customize it, how to secure it and how to optimize it – including VMs, ESXi hosts, vCenter Server Appliance. I also cover how to build robust networks and shared SAN storage and achieve both scaleability and performance. What I Cover In This Course In this course, I explain step-by-step how to upgrade or migrate from vCenter for Windows or vCenter Appliance to vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 and how to use VMware Update Manager to upgrade ESXi hosts and how to upgrade Virtual Machine virtual hardware and VMware Tools. I will also show you how to diagnose, isolate and fix common problems. We will use Host Client, Web Client, HTML 5 Client and command line tools to explore, configure, update, investigate and zero in on performance bottlenecks and trouble spots. Up to 45% of class time is devoted to labs so concepts, skills and best practices are developed and reinforced. By the end of the class, attendees will have learned practical, actionable skills in vSphere design, implementation, upgrading, sizing, scaleability, performance optimization and troubleshooting. Initially, this course will be 100% lecture (so I can get it to you faster). In the very near future, I’ll add an additional 4-6hrs of hands-on lab demonstration content so you will be able to see exactly how to perform all of the tasks I describe in my lectures. Use This Course to Prepare for VMware Certification Exams This course is also excellent for anyone preparing for vSphere certification. Use this course to gain knowledge in skills are are tested for in VMware certifications including: VMware Certified Associate VMware Certified Professional, and VMware Certified Advanced Professional Detailed Chapter by Chapter Topics Covered in this Course Chapter 1 – Course Overview What this course will cover The technical skills and background of ideal attendees Training with a focus on vSphere Best Practices, Good Design, Diagnosis and Troubleshooting, Scaleability, VM Availability, Performance, Availability, Security and more Chapter 2 – How to install and configure ESXi according to best practices Selecting and preparing supported hardware for ESXi 6.7 Performing install and post install tasks Using advanced settings to review and set password strength rules Connecting ESXi to the management network via the DCUI including tips and best practices Accessing ESXi through the DCUI, server console and via Secure Shell Review and managing host access services from the command line (troubleshooting tip) How to access the DCUI when the DCUI isn’t running (troubleshooting tip) Four different ways to review ESXi logs (web, Host Client, Command line and Console) How to manage local users and permissions from the command line (troubleshooting tip) Sizing ESXi hosts for pCPU, pMemory. and, how to enable Transparent Page Sharing to improve memory efficiency by up to 20% How to use local Flash storage to accelerate ESXi host read I/Os and minimize the impact of host memory stress (performance tip) How to use Lockdown Mode to secure your ESXi host How to install VMware packages (called VIBs) using both Host Client and command line Now to query and restart local host management agents from DCUI and from the command line (troubleshooting tip) Where to find best practices for security your ESXi hosts Chapter 3 – Introduction to ESXi Physical and Virtual Networking Physical networking hardware supported by ESXi. Includes the latest, ultra fast network hardware The three Virtual NIC options along with use cases to help you select the best vNIC for best performance The three different TCP/IP stacks supported by ESXi (and why) How to create and manage vSwitches, VMkernel NICs and Port Groups using Host Client How to create and manage vSwitches, VMkernel NICs and Port Groups using command line (troubleshooting tip) The basics of Physical NIC teaming Great ESXi command line tools to test networking, verify peer connectivity and troubleshoot networking issues Chapter 4 – Advanced ESXi Physical and Virtual Networking Virtual / Physical networking design goals The three vSwitch Security Policies (Promiscuous Mode, MAC Address Changes, Forged Transmits) and when to use them Network traffic bandwidth management with Traffic Shaping How to improve network throughput with Jumbo Frames. Includes use cases, how to configure and how to test Jumbo Frame support The five Physical NIC teaming policies: Route by Originating Port Route by MAC Hash Route by IP Hash Route by pNIC Load Route by Active / Stand-byIncludes pros, cons and use cases for each policy The three different ways to do vLAN tagging Route by Originating Port vSwitch Tagging pSwitch Tagging VM TaggingWhen / how to use each one VMkernel pNIC Offloading including TCP Segment Offloading and TCP Checksum offloading including benefits and how each works Exclusive pNIC to VM ownership and use cases using DirectPath I/O and how to do it Shared pNIC to VM ownership and use cases using Single Root I/O Virtualization and how to do it How to monitor pNIC and VM network traffic using esxtop How to query an ESXi host’s active network connections on the command line How to get detailed pNIC statistics including transmits, receives, errors, etc. on the command line Network design tips and best practices Chapter 5 – Connecting ESXi to NFS Shares Supported and unsupported (but works) NFS server options (includes Windows as an NFS server) The layout of an NFS network. Includes security concerns and compensating controls to address these issues NFS network design to maximize service access and availability How to publish NFS shares on Linux (works for Windows too) so that ESXi can use the shares ESXi physical network and TCP/IP requirements for connecting to NFS shares How to mount NFS shares using Host Client How to query NFS servers for their share list from the command line (hint – you can’t do this from Host Client) How to mount NFS shares on the command line (troubleshooting tip) Using advanced ESXi configuration parameters to increase the maximum number of supported, concurrent NFS shares Connecting to ESXi to NFS shares from the command line (troubleshooting tip) ESXi / NFS best practices, pros and cons NFS v4.1 features, limitations, how to migrate from NFS v3 to 4.1 and how to avoid data corruption Chapter 6 – Virtual Hardware and Virtual Machines Introduction to the features and capabilities of Virtual Hardware v14 pCPUs and vCPUs including configuration options and limits vCPU socket and core hard and practical maximums and guidelines VMemory configuration, sizing and best practices How to select and customize vNIC properties for different use cases The three different virtual SCSI storage controllers and use cases and best practices for each one How to select the best virtual SCSI storage controller for best VM storage performance The purpose, features and capabilities of VMware Tools and why it needs to be in every VM Windows VM configuration and performance tips The files that need to be backed up to capture a powered off VM How Snapshots work. Using the Snapshot Manager Troubleshooting VM Snapshots The Files that are added to a VM when it is snapshotted Guest OS Security tips and best practices Virtual Hardware upgrades and best practices How to list and shut down VMs from the command line How to get a VM’s power status, power on, power off or reboot a VM from the command line How to take ownership and give up ownership of a VM from the command line How to change a running VM’s console screen resolution from the command line (great troubleshooting tip) VM security considerations for Windows VMs How to st